39th Virginia Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 39th Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry
regiment
raised in Virginia
for service in the Confederate States Army
during the American Civil War
. It fought mostly in Norfolk and on Virginia's Eastern Shore.
The 39th Virginia was organized during the summer of 1861 with eleven companies: eight infantry, two cavalry, and one artillery. The unit was attached to the Department of Norfolk and served on the eastern shore of Virginia. In November it was ordered to evacuate the peninsula but was unable to cross the Chesapeake Bay. Efforts failed to reorganize the regiment, and it disbanded on February 3, 1862.
Its commanders were Colonel Charles Smith, Lieutenant Colonel Louis C.H. Finney, and Major N.R. Cary.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
raised in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
for service in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. It fought mostly in Norfolk and on Virginia's Eastern Shore.
The 39th Virginia was organized during the summer of 1861 with eleven companies: eight infantry, two cavalry, and one artillery. The unit was attached to the Department of Norfolk and served on the eastern shore of Virginia. In November it was ordered to evacuate the peninsula but was unable to cross the Chesapeake Bay. Efforts failed to reorganize the regiment, and it disbanded on February 3, 1862.
Its commanders were Colonel Charles Smith, Lieutenant Colonel Louis C.H. Finney, and Major N.R. Cary.